Don't expect big free agents pick-up by Canucks

Ok, soon after the Tampa Bay Lightnings traded away their third round pick to Pittsburgh for an exclusive discussion with Malone and Roberts until 1 July, and the hiring of Greg Malone (Ryan's father) as their Head Pro Scout, Ryan was announced signed to a 7-years 31.5M contract with the Lightning. No-one should be surprised of this, but with Malone off the market, the dynamics prior to July 1st have changed significantly. Mark me as one of the first to say that we shouldn't expect the Canucks to have any big free-agents pick-up this year.

The reason is simple, salary Cap. Ever since the lock-out, the salary cap has continuously increased every year. The 08-09 will be at 56M. So much like to old days, the big clubs will have much money to spend this year. And aside from Pavol Demitra, who still has a big chance to sign here, we will have to virtually fight with every other team in the market for the rest of the better players. The Canucks were never successful in UFA signings, because our management have always been too conservative. Don't be fooled by them when they say they are committed in certain players, because it's one thing to say you are committed, and another to actually go out of your way to make it happen.

The Lightnings did, by hiring Greg Malone, and then making a trade to have exclusive discussion with Ryan. Would the Canucks have done that? Not likely. This is also reflected on the offers our organizations are willing to make. Despite some fans suggesting that Marian Hossa will most certainly sign here since Demitra is best friends with Hossa, and would like a chance to play together on the same team. Oh how I would like that to be true. I don't doubt Hossa for wanting to play with his best friend, but when push come to shove, it's all about the $ he's getting. Hossa was making a bit more than 7M prior to his playoff performance, and from the fact that he rejected Pittsburgh's offer of a multi-year 7M deal and the chance to play along side Sidney Crosby, how much does it take to have Hossa on our team?? I'd say somewhere close to 8.5M and at least a 5-year deal.

But will the Canucks offer this to Hossa? As we stand right now (according to TSN.ca), we have about 20M cap space left, so we can afford him, but will we make this offer in time to sign him. From past experience, no. By the end of 1 July, Gillis might sit and regret that he should've given Hossa what he wanted as he watches him wearing a Boston Bruins jersey.

What about other free agents?? Sundin? Jagr? Sakic? These three are pretty much already taken. Most others have signed with their original team. Who else are left? Ryder? Satan? Rolston? Prospal?? Hardly ones who will make me excited, but most importantly, the Canucks will follow the same mindset as I suggested. They will under-offer them, and when they sign with some other team, we will regret missing out on the opportunities.

Don't get me wrong, I still think that we will get Demitra, but along with Kyle Wellwood, these two are pretty much what we can get for nothing. The rest will rely on trades. We are somewhat better with trades, because the rules are clearer, and saying yes to an offer is always easier than drafting up an offer out of nothing.

Should we start panic now? Not really. Because even if we don't make any significant trades, and we aren't able to keep Naslund and Morrison. I am still not too worried about our line-up. We are talking about the NHL here, and like I always say, the skill levels of the best players with the not-so-good players aren't as different as one would expect. Given the right amount of opportunities and training, anyone can be half-decent. The Canucks, in fact, do have some depth in our farm team, (although we've lost one of our brighter prospect tragically - R.I.P Luc), when we look at Mason Raymond, Cory Schneider, Micheal Grabner, Jannik Hansen, Patrick White, Daniel Rahimi, Kiril Koltsov (thanks Nonis!), Cody Hodgson.

So in my opinion, yes, the team will be very different next year without Linden, Naslund and Morrison, but I think our team will survive and we shall see the blooming of our younger players. Let's hope Gillis give them a chance.

Stay tuned, I will have a recap of the signings and trades after July 1st. Signing off, I'm Saint Pako from the Hockey Digest.

Canucks pick up Wellwood off waivers

One day after Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher placed 2nd line centerman Kyle Wellwood on waivers, the Vancouver Canucks claimed the rights to this soon-to-be restricted free agent. The Canucks now have to provide him with a qualifying offer before July 1st should they wish to retain his service for the coming season.

Initial reactions to this are mixed across different forums, for Leafs fans, most suggests that they are glad the Canucks picked up their trash, while some wish him success in Vancity. As for the Canucks fans, most believe this to be an excellent free pick-up, getting a good playmaker who played on the Leafs top-line during Sundin's injury for nothing. Other 'nucks fans believe that Wellwood is out of condition, and with his passed groin injury as well as multiple surgery to his sports hernia, he is worth little to Vancouver, except taking a hit on the salary cap. Some speculate hidden problems with Wellwood, from the fact that no teams in the NHL are willing to trade him for anything. The following is what I wrote on the Canucks.com forum:

Just like to reply to those of you who thinks there's some kind of big conspiracy behind why Wellwood wasn't able to be traded, suggesting that his condition must be so terrible that he has no value to any teams.

Think about what Toronto is doing, I mean it looks to me like Fletcher is on panic mode or something, I can understand some would think that Wellwood is overated and may not draw a lot of interest from teams in terms of trade (at least not a few days before Free Agency begins), but what about Darcy Tucker, what about Andrew Raycroft, are they of so little value that you cannot trade them for anything (a bag of pucks, anyone) ???

I think the problem is all about timing, for some reason, the Leafs want to do a clean-house before free agency begins, probably because they think that they will make a big splash or something. Think about it, Tucker, Wellwood or Raycroft in other times during a season would've drawn at least some interest in terms of trade, it's just that at this very moment, their value is perhaps the lowest, since every other GM thinks that they have a chance at the big names in UFA. No-one would be interested to trade for "these" players, well...at least not this very moment.

So I think the Leafs are making huge mistakes by letting these players just walk for nothing (as I write this, I know Raycroft cleared waivers).

Anyways, good move by MG to pick up Wellwood, it's at least a costless acquistion that we can always back-out, and one that may turn out to be an excellent asset to the orginization for free.

Still a few days away from July 1st, it's interesting to see if there's any other moves coming. Heard that Vancouver is actively chasing Hossa, Malone in terms of UFA, and making a trade with Carolina involving Bieska for Cole or Williams.

Let's wait and see. Signing off, this is Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

Free Agents for Sale

The Free Agency for NHL will begin in less than a week, and unlike previous years, the crop for this year is not that exciting. Having said that, there are a number of big names available for the highest bidder.

Above all, perhaps the ones who are receiving the highest media coverage are Mats Sundin, Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell. Sundin at 36 years of age, have spent most of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise. Currently making 5.5 Million per year, he is drawing a great deal of interests across the league. He has said many times in the past, that his wish was to finish his career in Toronto, however, after numerous disastrous seasons with the Leafs, the All-star center and captain is counting his chances for the ultimate glory, the Stanley Cup. So his choosing criteria will surely include a chance to play for a cup-contender.

Marian Hossa is perhaps the most prized possession for forwards this year. In terms of age, he still has a lot of mileage left, and in terms of goal-scoring ability, he is amongst the best in the league, and can step into any line-up and contribute immediately. After being traded to Pittsburgh as a rental, his performance in the playoffs were magnificant, and his playoff run alone, helped his stock price increased by a great porportion. However, Hossa are often seen as a mercenary when compared to those players who'd compromise his own gains for a team, so it's most likely he will simpy go to the highest bidder in the market. And as to his loyalty for the long haul, it will remain questionable.

The best defenseman available this year as UFA, is unarguably Brian Campbell. Known as a world-class puck-moving defenseman, Campbell (29) can easily be the main assest any team wish to build around. Campbell is expected to at least get 6 million dollar salary in his new contract, came off a 62pts seasons with the Sabre and Sharks. He was also traded to San Jose prior to the trade-deadline this year as a rental player. San Jose, of course, has the best intention to sign him to a long term deal with the Sharks, but like many other big-name free agents out there in the new era of NHL, Campbell will try it out in the open market first.

Aside from these big three, the rest can be categorized as three groups, the older veteran stars, the up-coming second-tier stars, and the questionable acuquistions. The first group includes players like Joe Sakic, Sergei Fedorov, Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg, Brendan Shanahan, Markus Naslund, Bobby Holik, Alex Zhamnov, Doug Weight, Rob Blake, Teppo Numminen, Chris Chelios, Olaf Kolzig, Dominik Hasek, Gary Roberts, Teemu Seleane...etc. These players are the big names in the past, but have somewhat slowed down a bit (due to age or health), and many are contemplating retiring in one or two years. So they may be good choices for added experience to a team, or a final piece of puzzle for a cup-contender, but surely not someone you will want to build with for the future.

I categorized Second-tier stars as those who can contribute immediately, and have huge up-side to his plays. He will add depth to any line-up, but perhaps not the biggest names you will go after, and in some cases, maybe cost more than one would spend in that role. They include: Pavol Demitra, Wade Redden, Miroslav Satan, Michael Ryder, Brad Stuart, Daymond Langkow, Brendan Morrison, Brian Rolston, Ryan Malone, Sean Avery, Craig Conroy, Vaclav Prospal, Ladislav Nagy, Martin Rucinsky, Andrew Brunette, Martin Lapointe, Adam Foote, Paul Mara, Jose Theodore, Cristobal Huet...etc.

The rest perhaps are what I called questionable acquistions. Of course, I may have missed out a lot of players in the first two categories, but I think you understand my logic. As for the Canucks, which is on the look-out for filling up their top six forwards positions, this year's draft may not offer a lot of choices. With Naslund and Morrison both goint to free-agency, of course there is still a chance that they will sign back with Vancouver, there are not a lot of players we can add to replace and improve of the two that we might lose. For the top-tier superstar, as in the past with Canucks, our chances are not great signing Hossa or Sundin. As for signing of the past superstars, I still believe that they only add to a strong line-up but cannot revive the depleted forward lines we have.

So it is with the second tier players that I think we can find some luck. I think we should be able to add one or two from this group, which will play on the second line for us, players like Demitra, Ryder, Malone, Rolston, Prospal are great additions if we can pull it off, but I think we won't be able to improve significantly through free agency.

This is why it will be very interesting to see the revamped line-up of the Canucks for the 08-09 season. Will we be able to add significant free-agent help? Will we look inside our organization to promote young players? Will we make big trades like moving the Sedins for a bonifide superstar? With the latest news of buyouts from numerous players like Darcy Tucker, will there be more UFAs come close to July 1st? They will unfold soon enough.

Signing off, this is Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

2008 NHL Draft

The 2008 NHL Entry Draft has ended, and to no-one's surprise, Steven Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightnings. It seems that the effort by the Lightning on their terrible season was well rewarded by the one of the best forward prospect since Crosby and Ovechkin. Whether or not the much-hyped Stamkos can help Tampa Bay turn back into a cup-contender remains a mystery, but one thing is certain, the new owners of the Lightnings have found their focus of public relations for years to come.

This year's draft is consider the deepest draft for defensemen. Four out of the top five picks were defensemen, and perhaps the most notible move was Toronto Maple Leafs trading up to capture Luke Schenn of the WHL Kelowna Rockets. Another interesting move was by New York Islanders picking up Central-ranked 12th overall Joshua Bailey from the Windsor Spitfires with their 9th overall pick. Whether or not skipping over Cody Hodgson to pick Bailey is a smart move remains to be seen, but this has definitely opened up the option for the Canucks to choose between skillful leader Hodgson versus unpredictable powerforward Kyle Beach.

The Canucks at the end chose the best player the can get according to central scouting, which coincidentally fit with Canucks' need to rebuild the team. With Trevor Linden retiring and Captain Markus Naslund contemplating open market, young Hodgson maybe the piece the Canucks need to move on in years to come. Characterized by some as " a slower Steven Stamkos", Hodgson who also played minor hockey with Stamkos maybe the real deal. He offers strong leadership on and off the ice, and whether he is slow on the strides, you can see for yourself...

The Better Team Won

It's finally over. The Detroit Red Wings are the Stanley Cup Champions of 2008.

And I think, for this year, the best team in the entire NHL won.

4th time in 11 years proved once and again that Detroit is indeed the Hockey Town of the world. But what a series it has been. The Pittsburgh Penguins although lost 4-2 games in the stretch post an enormous fight against the most complete team in the world. Filled with a bunch of young guns who have the hearts of tigers, the Penguins literally fought to the last seconds until they were ultimately defeated.

Filled with inspiring moments, this series is in my heart the best series I've seen this year. Down two games to none, we saw Penguins captain Sidney Crosby training by himself in an optional practise of their day-off after game two. His eyes were filled with determination and hunger, and he knew he had to be better in game three for his team. And he did, scoring the first two goals in the game, and in the series, carrying the entire team on his shoulder. He gave the team a chance, and showed them by example while saving the last bit of self-confidence they have from being severely crushed by the veteren Wings. They won 3-2 that game.

However, things didn't turn out any better the next game, as Detroit showed that they are clearly the better team, by winning most stats of the games including faceoffs, SOG...etc. Their puck-possession game was so much better than the Penguins, that the team which swept throught their entire Eastern Conference series seemed lost and desperate most of the time. Marian Hossa played some of his best hockey in the playoff with the Penguins scoring the first goal in game 4, but Detroit shut down all of their offense afterwards, with an equalized from their all-star captain Lidstrom and the eventual winner by Hudler.

Going into game five, the Pens down three game to one, and in the verge of elimination, played some of their best hockey, both up front and in the net. Again Hossa led the offense with the first goal, with setup by the Captain, and then Adam Hall on a not-so-pretty goal. Up 2-0 entering the second period, the Red Wings again showed up by answering one back. Then in third period, Detroit showed them once again why the Penguins were in the deep hole they found themselves by totally shutting down their start players, getting an equalizer and the leading goal. Marc Andre Fluery was spectacular entering the last minutes of the third period, but with Pens down by a goal, their quest for the cup seems close to the end.

But entering the last minute of the game the Pens pulled their goalie and chose the most unusual player as the extra attacker, who turned out to be the hero, in the form of Maxime Talbot. Talbot scored in 19:25 to tie the game at three and forced overtime. The overtime periods saw even more tremendous saves from Fluery, and it took both teams 3 overtime period to decide anything. At the end it was on a penalty call which lead to a powerplay goal by Petr Sykora who saved the Pens from elimination.

So we came to game 6, which saw the Wings continue their solid puck-possession play, as their add a goal in each of the first two periods. Near the end of the second period, the Penguins seemed lost again and also breathless, until they catch a break with a powerplay goal by Evgeni Malkin late in the second period. Starting the third, the Penguins seemed again fired up, but in a simple drive to the net play, the Penguins mistakenly thought that Fleury had the puck covered cost them the most important goal of their year. Again, on the verge of elimination, the best player from the Pens gave the team hope again, when Marian Hossa re-directed a slapshot passed Osgood on a power-play goal which brought back life to the dead-silent Igloo. But it was too little too late, as there was only less than two minutes left of the clock, and although the Pens pulled Fluery again for an extra attacker this time it came short to tie the game.

The Penguins failed their mission to capture the cup this year, but as it showed in the final seconds in this game, when Hossa tried to take advantage of a big rebound from Osgood, tried to poke the puck into the net with one hand, only for it to slide parallel the goal-line with the clock down to zero, this young team never once gave-up hope. This is perhaps the most inspiring part of this series.

Ever since the puck drop, it was clear that Detroit was the better team. No matter how good the Penguins looked in their Eastern Conference run, the Red Wings was by far the superior team in almost every aspect of the game. The Penguins gave it their best fight, and they learned the most valuable lesson this year, and I am most certain that this is just the beginning of the story for this young team's road to become another dynasty of champions for years to come.

Rememer Gretzky and the oiler's first quest at the cup, anyone??

My MVP for both teams in the series are:

Detroit Red Wings - Henrik Zetterberg

Pittsburgh Penguins - Marian Hossa

Signing off, Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.